Workshops Plant Seeds of Success in Agtech
Biological and agricultural engineers are creating workshops to introduce students, teachers and industry professionals to cutting-edge advancements in agtech at the University of California, Davis.
Agtech combines time-honored agricultural practices with modern tools like artificial intelligence and robotics. Agtech promises to increase efficiency, productivity, worker safety and environmental sustainability on farms, but only if the workers on the ground know how to use these emerging technologies.
To bridge the gap between research and practice, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Biological and Agricultural Engineering Ali Moghimi has led the development of a workshop series through the AI Institute for Food Systems, located on the UC Davis campus, that introduces students, teachers and industry leaders to state-of-the-art farming tools and ongoing research programs optimizing agriculture.
"The transition from conventional to sustainable agricultural practices is leading to noticeable shifts in workforce development programs in the agriculture industry to adopt cutting-edge technologies," Moghimi said. "The AgTech workshop series aims to equip agricultural professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to adopt advanced technologies such as drones, internet-of-things, robotics and AI."
AgTech Workshop for Teachers
During this free two-day workshop, high school and college-level teachers gain knowledge and skills to develop curricula and strategies for educating the next generation of agricultural professionals. Attendees experience innovative pedagogy and high-impact practices for advanced technologies like drones, robotics and AI.
The workshop brings together up to 25 teachers from across the Western region of the United States (as far east as Colorado and including Alaska and Hawaii) as well as the island protectorates of American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia and Northern Mariana.
AgTech Workshop for Industry
Industry professionals participate in hands-on demos and interact directly with world-class agtech researchers during this two-day workshop on advanced technologies and the ongoing research into new ways to optimize farming practices.
Workshop goers learn about rapidly changing tools and how they can equip themselves to make better technology-related decisions and support the transition to a more tech-enabled workforce.
AI Tech Camp for High Schoolers
High school students learn about growing research fields, such as artificial intelligence, drones and internet-of-things (IoT), through hands-on activities in this four-day summer camp.
This year’s event, which will run from Aug. 19–22, will focus on sustainable agriculture and environmental monitoring.
“By introducing students early on to the skills they will need to integrate AI, robotics and IoT into agricultural practices," Moghimi said, "we are not only preparing them for future careers but also equipping them to lead the transformation toward more efficient and resilient agricultural systems.”
The summer camp is free and open to high schoolers in Davis and Sacramento.